United States History

The UCSB graduate program in U.S. history offers a wide variety of intensive reading and research seminars. The program covers traditional chronological fields, with especially strong coverage of modern U.S. history (1865 to the present). At the same time, the U.S. field has a number of strengths that cross traditional chronological boundaries. These thematic strengths include gender history, race and ethnicity (Native American, African American, Asian American and Chicano history), political economy, and public policy history. Many field members also participate in the history department’s special comparative clusters, including gender history, Cold War history, and the joint UCSB/California State University Program in Public History. Other departments at UCSB-Asian American Studies, Black Studies, Chicano Studies, Religious Studies, and Women’s Studies-have faculty members that work in related fields.

All entering graduate students in U.S. history are expected to take the 292 series during their first year of study. The 292 series provides an intensive overview of the U. S. history field as a whole, with particular emphasis on the strengths of the UCSB faculty.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with any of the faculty listed below. They will be happy to provide you with more information about the graduate program in American history.